Tek,

It sounds like the Time pedals could cause you to injure your ankle if you're having such a hard time disengaging. Not to mention scrape yourself up if you fall.... Is there any tension adjustment on them you could loosen? If not, you might want to cut your losses and resell them on eBay. I've found that used bike gear sells quite well there and you'll often get close to full price if something is very lightly used.

You might want to give Eggbeater pedals a try. I got mine (Eggbeater Candy SLs) on eBay for a good price, and I absolutely love them. They are a breeze to clip out of. I mostly ride on the road but one of their big selling points is that they are supposed to be very good at mud-shedding. I found them a bit harder than my Speedplays to clip into at first, but once I cut away a bit of the tread on my new and very thick-soled MTB shoes (these pedals are on my touring bike), I had no further problems. I really like these pedals!

Good luck,
Emily in NC